Features

Technology

PowerPlanner works as an Excel-Addin, using Microsoft Excel as the front-end, and PowerPivot as the built in in-memory OLAP engine.

PowerPlanner does not require a bulky and expensive enterprise-scale database back-end, using the lightweight and free Microsoft SQL Server Express as the database engine, it can run on a single notebook.

PowerPlanner extends standard OLAP functionality provided by the Vertipaq engine of PowerPivot, with fast writeback functionality and row-level data security.

Driver based planning

Data in PowerPivot PivotTables in Excel workbooks can be edited, using our PowerPivot Writeback. After editing base data all calculated figures are immediately refreshed. The calculation panel and quick edit formulas (e.g. inc10%) can also be used for quick changes. Changes can be commited immediately or mass changes can be done without commiting and then be discarded or commited manually.

 

Top-down planning

Using PowerPlanner not only detail cells can be changed, but also aggregated values (e.g. any total or average in the PowerPivot PivotTable). Top-down planning multiplies all the detail cells that add up to the total by the same number so that the total reaches the desired value. In other words it keeps original the distribution of the details. If the original total is 0 or empty then the details are equally allocated.

KPI Goal-seeking

Calculated cells can’t be edited just like normal cells in the PowerPivot PivotTable, but they can be edited using Goal-seeking. What goal-seeking does is that is that it adjusts selected drivers of the given calculated KPI so that it reaches the desired value (it multiplies the details of all selected cells by the same number, to reach the goal).

For example in case of a Sales calculation, where:

Sales Value = Ordered Quanity * Unit Price

either the Ordered Quantity or the Unit Price can be adjusted to reach a certain goal in the Sales Value.

Goal-seeking also works on aggregates (e.g. total cells). In this case top-down planning is used to adjust the drivers. When goal-seeking on a total cell, a selection of the driver details can also be adjusted only. For example increase the total sales value by 10% by increasing the sales quantities of only a certain product category (the others are left intact).

Multiple drivers can also be selected. In this case all selected drivers are multiplied by the same number to reach the goal.

Goal-seeking can be performed by first selecting the source drivers to be changed in the PowerPivot PivotTable, then pressing the Set button in the Goal-Seek group of the PowerPlanner tab in Excel (if you want to clear the selection and select a new source, you can press the Clear button). After this the selection becomes highlighted, and you can change the target cell.

          


Multi-version simulation

For making quick simulations and rolling forecasts, it’s often required to copy versions (or any other item such as products, customers, etc.). This can be done by selecting the item in the PowerPivot PivotTable, then right click with the mouse and select Copy member from the context menu. Then PowerPlanner asks whether to Clear previous data. This option deletes previous data for the copied item. It can be used when data in the original item has changed and you want to re-copy it. Then you need to specify a name for the new item. For Example Actual data can be copied to the Budget1 version to start a new roll-forward plan based upon actual data.

         

   

Finally PowerPlanner asks whether to Shift Time (useful when copying last years' actual data as a base for plan).

Model building

Tables in the Database can be completely managed from Excel (Create / Delete / Edit columns / Edit data). Tables are represented as Excel lists.  Lists created in Excel (new list / convert range to list) can also be saved as tables in the database. 

            

 

Backup & Restore

Databases can be managed from Excel (Create / Delete / Backup / Restore).

         

Automated import

Importing data in PowerPlanner does not require any special ETL knowledge, it can be done from Excel. 

The import can be set up by referencing one or more source Excel list that have an external data source. External tables can be referenced using the =TableName[@[Field name]] formula.

When saving the table PowerPlanner ask if the external tables referenced should be refreshed, and the table should be extended to the length of the longest referenced table to include all external values. Other Excel formulas can also be used for temporary calculations these are also copied down when extending the table. When the table is extended the formulas from the first row are copied down. Import also takes into account the filters set on the list, so you can apply filters to import parts of the full table separately.

Automated import can be setup for automatically executing the import procedure described above, on multiple Excel workbooks at a regularly scheduled interval.

 

User rights

Security settings enable the user to create users in the SQL Database and specify access rights for these users.  SQL users and passwords can be edited in Excel.  Security settings allow multiple users with read only or read/write access to be assigned to the distinct values of a column of a table. In case of dimension tables read/write access is inherited to all related fact tables.

             


Model publishing

PowerPlanner can synchronize changes in PowerPivot models between users. If a the model is changed (e.g. a new table, column, or calculation is added or removed), it can be saved in the Database by the Modeler user.  Other users can then reload the model in the current workbook with its latest published version.
PowerPlanner also notifies the users if a new model version is available and offers an update.

 

Power BI Visual Planning

Power Planner Visual Planning expands Power BI’s capabilities exponentially. With Visual Planning, one can now edit data in a Dashboard or a Report. Users may add and change numbers and comments, observe the visualization updates and save those changes back to the data repository. Visual Planning does this while respecting Role Based Security.
Visual Planner is extremely valuable in many common scenarios including the Forecasting, Budgeting and Planning processes, and the opportunities are endless


          

Comments

Comments can be used to mark changes and share them with other users.  Comments saved in the database can then be displayed in all PivotTable cells with the same attributes in the current worksheet.


 

Support for Excel 2016

PowerPlanner now fully supports Excel 2016.


Introducing Writeback for Tabular SSAS Models

Introducing PowerPlanner for Analysis Services, the new product line for Enterprise-scale SSAS Tabular models.

With 3 new products (Contributor for AS, Modeler for AS, Modeler with WebAccess for AS), enjoy the full featureset of PowerPlanner now also for Analysis Services Tabular Models, Azure SQL and Azure SSAS.